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ME vs. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

If you know me personally, you will know that one of the things I simply HATE is winter. I hate being cold, and as a person who loves to run/bike/hike outdoors this doesn’t mix well with the Connecticut Winters. This would explain my month long stay in Florida! While there, I spent every minute I could outside, and the weather mixed with the outdoors sparked a happiness inside of me that I had not felt in months.

Fast forward 3 weeks. We are back in CT, and surrounded by the lingering snow that dropped from Blizzard Nemo. We had over 3 feet dumped on us here, which made it impossible to even drive for days, never mind workout outdoors. Needless to say my SAD kicked in full force and I was NOT a fun person to live with. Now, I have self diagnosed myself with this disorder, but I am pretty sure I don’t need a doctor to tell me it is true. What do you think:

Summer: I am on top of the world. Swimming, Biking, Running, Trail Running with friends and thinking every minute: I am SO BLESSED to live this life. I wake up happy and ready to tackle the day. I have a ton of energy and love life.

Winter: I have a hard time getting out of bed. I literally do not want to get up. I stay in my pajamas most the day, and only leave the house to go into the studio to train and teach bootcamp. I spend every day thinking, “why do we live here?” and my body is constantly aching. I think this is small part the weather and a large part TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome)

Anyway, for now I live in CT year round and I am always the one to say, “If you don’t like something: change it. If you can’t change it: change the way you think about it.” So, I started snowshoeing! My neighbor/good friend bought new ones, and gave me her old ones. Since she is a teacher and schools were closed, she got me out of the house to explore the woods behind our condos. It felt so good to get out of the house and into the solitude of the woods. Cutting through the fresh powder was not only a great workout, but very serene. I am proud to say I have gotten off the couch the last 4 days and strapped on the snowshoes!

Today, the hubby and pup joined me, as we walked the airline trail. It is sunny, and the sun shining off the snow made for a great hike. I don’t think I will ever learn to love winter, but I guess it’s time to start changing the way I think about it!